Apparatus fob extracting metals from their ores



E. s. LEAVER.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2,1918.

Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. S. LEAVER.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1918.

Patented Aug. 5, 191

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l/VI/EIIITOR EDMUND S. LEAVER, 01E TUCSON, ARIZONA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 CHARLES E.

V AN' BARNEVELD, OF TUCSON, r

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5, 19119.

Application filed July 2, 1918. Serial No. 243,015.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDMUND S. LEAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tueson, in the county of Pima, State of Arizona, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Extracting Metals from Their Ores, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for extracting metals from their ores, using sulfurous acid as a leaching agent. The apparatus is adapted for extractlon of copper, manganese and other metals.

The main object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is adapted to extract the copper or other metal fromthe ore by the-action of sulfurous acid and to oxidize the resulting compound so as to produce the sulfate of the extracted metal,

such sulfate being adapted for' further treatment to recover the metal therefrom. A furtherfobject of the invention is to provide an apparatus for the above statedpurpose in which provision is made for mamtaining proper conditions of temperature in each portion of the apparatus according to the action desired therein, so that the heat of the sulfurous gases coming from a sulfur burner or sulfid roasting apparatus-and containing sulfur dioxid together with oxygen. is utilized in heating the ore pulp so as to drive off the remaining sulfur dioxid therefrom and to cause oxidation of the sulfites in the solution, while the ore pulp supplied by the apparatusis bein continually brought in contact with sud rous gases cooled by the above described operation in the manner .suitable for the most elfective' absorption of the'gas and leaching of the ore.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of my mvention, and referring thereto:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus.

Fig 2 is. a transverse section of the extracting and oxidizing drum taken on line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of said drum taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 1n Ifig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal section of the drum on line 5-5 in Fig. 2. 0

My improved apparatus for ore extraction comprises a drum I mounted to rotate on ing ore pul through an opening 5 at one end thereo means such as outlet pipe 8 and launder 4 for discharging and carrying away ore pulp from the other end of the drum and means for forcing gas wcarrying sulfur, dioxid and oxygen through said drum in reverse direction or counter current to the movement of the ore pulp therein. I have indicated for this purpose a sulfur burner 6, of usual type connected to a blower or pump 7, by which the gases from said sulfur burner are forced through pulp outlet and gas inlet pipe 8 leading through opening 9 in a head. 9 at one end of the drum 1. It will be understood, however, that in case sulfurous gases are available as a waste product, for example, gases from roasters in which sulfid ores are subjected to usual roasting operations-such gases may be utilized in my apparatus being forced directly by the pump 7 into the drum through the gas inlet 8. Said gas inlet also acts as a. pulp outlet havin a downwardly extendingbranch 10 which extends into the pulp discharge launder 4 and is provided with an opening 11 at its lowest portion through which the ore pulp flows into said'la'under. V I p The drum 1 maybe of any suitable material resistant to the acid solution-for example, it may be made of wooden staves fastened'together with bands or hoops 22 in the usual manner of cylindrical barrels of this character and provided with wooden ends 9 and 14 having respectively central openings 9' and 5 for receiving respectively the pulp outlet page 8 and the pul inlet pipe or chute 3. acking means in icated at 12 is preferably provided at, opening 9 around gas inlet and pulp outlet pipe 8,

to make a gas tight joint while permltting rotation of the drum. Said drum is pro-1 or spaces 21 which are separated by said partitions. The openings 20 in said partitill till

till

tions which are in the annular series nearer the peripheral wall 23 of the drum, are sufiiciently large to receive longitudinal baflle rods or bars formed, for example as wooden strips 24 extending nearly the full length of the drum and through all of the transverse partitions 17, said bafile bars or strips extending through the holes or openings 20 and secured therein in any suitable manner. Said bars, however, do not completely fill said openings 20, but leave an open space 20 adjacent to each bar through which the pulp may flow. from section to section as aforesaid. These bars 24, do not extend into the last section 27 between the last partition 17 and the head 9 of the drum, andan open space 28 is also left between the other head 14: of the drum and the first partition. The

last section 27 of the drum constitutes an 30 falls into said pulp discharging means 8 and is conducted thereby to the launder l.

Drum 1 is also provided, throughout the sections 21, with bucket lilts 13, formed as ribs or flanges extending longitudinally of the drum and projecting trom the wall oil the drum inwardly and forwardly with respect to the direction 0t rotation of the drum.

The bae bars 2d are arranged in a plurality of annular series, the'bars in adjacent series being in sta gered relations so that the material raise lifts 13 will be intercepted by said bees and will descend from one battle to another and will be thereby splashed and distributed so as to produce extended contact with the gases in the drum.

The drum is operated by suitable driving means, such as gearing 16, so as to rotate the drum in the direction shown by the arrow in l ig. 2; the ore pulp being led in through the chute, 3, and passing from the receiving to-the delivery end oil the drum by gradually finding its way through the openings l9 and 20, in the transverse artitions ll, so as to pass through all oil t. e sections 21 successively.

lie the rotation of the drum the bucket lifts lid, in their ascending movement, raise the ore pulp and as they reach the upper part or the drum drop the pulp onto "the ballle or strips 2a in sec manner that and then dropped byraise the pulp and drop it into thedischarge or exit pipe, 8, whereby it is conducted through trap opening, 11, into launder 4.

The drum is operated so as to rotate at a. s eed of 15 to 20 revolutions per minute. ulp of the proper consistency (varying from 0.6 parts to 5 parts of water to 1 part of ore) fed into the drum at one end is met by a counter current flow of heated air carg'ing a varying percentage (t to 6%) cl 0, gas, which is forced into the drum through the gas inlet or ulp exit 8 under a slight pressure. The S8, gas attacks certain of the non-sulfid minerals and products and combines with them, forming water soluble sulfites, which are dissolved in the water contained in the ulp; the sulfites are then rapidly oxidized into sulfates by the oxygen of the hot air, Since the pulp enters one end of the drum cold and the EU,- charged air enters the opposite end hot, a counter current flow is developed which heats the water contained in the pulp say to a temperature around ll)" C. near the discharge end of the drum. hince hot solutions expel 8U, readily, this gas is forced forward toward the colder section of the drum and there isea constant counter current flow ot SU gasitoward the entering cold pulp. The internal construction of the drum insures an intimate contact of the gas and mineral particles. jjlhe' discharge is a practically neutral solution containingin the torni oi sulfates all the original S soluble contents of? the charge. The particular element or elernents sought may be recovered "it-roan these solutions by whatever process is applicable.

its an eirarnple ol the operation of this apparatus llwill describe its application to errtraction' Q'lfc'jopper from oxidized or: non-sulfid orerthereoi; I I re pulp consisting ol finely divided are and water is led in at opening 5 and the oxidized or non-sullid constitutents of the ore, consisting ot carbonates, silicates, onid and metal, are subjected to the attack olE which is at this point practically erhausted. This is the first eta e ol the leaching. in the central part or the drum the co per is almost completely brought into soution as sulidte. l dy the time it reaches this point, the gas is cooled by contact with the pulp, hill, is thoroughly absorbed, and- 'llll iii are

At the outflow end of'the drum the pulp is in contact with hot gas coming direct from, the furnace and toward this end of the drum the oxidation of sulfites to sulfates is brought about. .The absorption of SO in the hot pulp at'this point is very small. The 'result is a counter current with respect to copper minerals and S Fresh ore is in contact with a practically exhausted gas. The

exhausted ore is in contact with a gas high in sulfur dioxid. Toward the dischar ev end the oxidation of co per sulfite to sul ate'is completed, and the igh temperature insures that very little SO will remain in the pulp at this point. I The effect of the extracting and oxidizing operation above set forth is to bring the cop er into solution in the form of copper sulf ateywhich is readily available for the recovery of the copper by any well known means. For example the copper may be recovered by electrolysis of the copper sulfate solution, or by recipitation with iron, as. cement copper. n each of these cases, the copper solution-may be separted from the angue or residue by filtration or otherwise efore separation of the copper. If desired,

' however, the copper may be recovered by agitate nantsolution, and the whole b0 y of pulpdrum 1 and precipitation of metallic copper in the body of ore dpulp, lfor example, by metallic iron with the pulp, includin the pregincluding the gangue and the precipitated copper and any undissolved copper values may then be subjected to flotation to' separate the precipitated metallic copper together with any sulfid copper mineral that,

mziy be present.

n applying the above described apparatus to the recovery or concentration of manganese from its ores, a manganese ore, containing, for example, ,pyrolusite, may be made into pulp with water by suitable means, and supplied throughchute 3 to assed through the same in contact with t e sulfurou's' gases'and air in the manner above de'scribed,with the result that the manganese is brought into solution in the form of manganese sulfate.

Iron and lime are the main sulfurous acid:

soluble im'purities usually associated with manganeseores and in the above described operation the ,li" "oxidizes to sulfates and passes out with'the'non-solubles. The iron may be eliminated from the solution by reusing the 'igsolutioni on a new manganese charge, the manganese oxidlzmg the non and replacing it in solution and the. iron bemg precipitated, probably as a basic salt.

The solution of manganese sullfate, which is eventually obtained may be treated by evaporation or crystallization to obtain the sulfate in solid form and this may be treated 5 in any suitable manner for recovery of the manganese 1n commercially available form,

for example, carbon may be mixed with the sulfate and the mixture then roasted so as to,pr0duce oxid of manganese which is available as a commerclal charge end thereof, so as to cause such gases to pass through. the drum in counter current with the orepulp, said drum being provided with lifts for raising the ore pulp .and dropping it through the gases passlng in the'drum and with bafile means extendin within the drum in position to intercept and plifstribute the ore pulp dropping from said i ts. v

2. An apparatus for extracting metals from their ores, comprising a rotary drum, provided'at one end with a pulp inlet and gas outlet, and at the other end with a pulp outlet and gas inlet, whereby ore pulp and gasmay be passed in counter current through the drum, said drum having a series of perforated partitions extending across the drum, a series of bucket lifts extendin adjacentto the peripheral wall of the rum and adapted to lift the ore pulp and drop it through the gas-passing in the drum, and bafile bars extending longitudinally in the drum in position to intercept the ore pulp descending from the lifts.

, 3.- An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said baflle bars are arranged in staggered-relation in a plurality of annular series.

'In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this th day of June 1918.

ED ll 's. 'LEAVER. 

